Dustin’s post “Nightmare on a Football Field” inspired me to write this next post.

During the summer of 2010, I was an intern at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.  As interns, we worked with the certified staff members at the University to provide health care for all of the camps run through the Continuing Education Department at UWW, whether it was a sports camp, a music camp, or an academic camp.  One of the first camps that we had at UWW this summer was a football camp.  It was a “Perimeter Camp” which included quarterbacks, receivers, defensive backs, linebackers, etc., basically anybody but the linemen.  This camp had over 320 campers that were all out on the practice fields wearing helmets and shoulder pads.  I was the health care provider for all of them, by myself.  I had help inside, but on the field it was all me providing first aid.

On the second day of camp, I am doing some normal triage of injuries, blood, and hydration when one of the coaches brings a kid over on the golf cart.  This kid was complaining of an upset stomach and being light headed.  Since I was busy, I suggested he get some water and relax for a few minutes, lunch was only a couple of hours earlier and for the Wisconsin kids it was hot out (about 75 degrees).  When I went to talk to him a few minutes later, he was sitting in the shade, but he was not feeling better, nor did he look right, I had a hunch immediately that he probably was not Continue reading →